This invention relates to providing web services using an interface.
Referring to FIG. 1, a network configuration 100 illustrates an example client/server network setup. In the network configuration 100, clients 102(1)-102(N) can each request information from a host computer 104 across a network 106. (N represents a whole number.) The client 102(1), for example, may send a request across the network 106 for a particular set of web content available at the host computer 104, for a multimedia exchange to be set up between the client 102(1) and the host computer 104, or for another exchange or set of web content.
The request arrives at the host computer 106 at a network interface card (NIC) 108. From the NIC 108, the request can travel along an input/output (I/O) bus 110 and through a network stack 112 to a web server 114 running web server software.
The web server 114 handles the request (including any necessary connection setup and information retrieval) and, if necessary, reads information from a local storage mechanism 116 such as a buffer or a data cache. The web server 114 may then return any content requested by the client 102(1) to the client 102(1), with the content traveling through the network stack 112, the I/O bus 110, the NIC 108, and the network 106.